In the morning (there is meaning)
by Sevi007
Summary: (Pre-Games) Eva has known all kinds of mornings, good and bad. These, however, might have been her favorites: The ones where the ones she loved most where right there with her, greeting her before the dawn could.


Eva couldn't have said what had woken her when she sleepily blinked her eyes open. One moment she had been deep in dreamless slumber, and the next she was awake, slightly disoriented by the abruptness of it.

Yet it only took her a blurry second or two to note the change in the body pressed up against her.

Familiar warmth, a secure arm resting over her hips, was usual.

The rigidness of muscles and breath held tight in the chest next to her ear, was _not_.

All the signs of an animal readying itself for the jump.

Adrenaline rushed through her, pushing away the last threads of sleep still clinging to her mind. Forcing herself to keep her breath even as not make noise and disturb Sparda's sharp hearing, she waited, ready to get her feet in a moment's notice if he gave any sign that there was something amiss. While her body kept still, her mind raced – remembering if she had put her weapon well within her reach, figuring out how fast she could be down the hallway and there to protect the twins.

Then, Sparda realised the breath he had held in a great rush, body gradually relaxing next to her again. Only then did he gaze down to where she was watching him intently. He blinked once, eyebrow arching, - the only sign of surprise she would get - before his features softened and he whispered, "Just the boys."

That was enough to send a flood of relief through Eva and she sighed, all but collapsing back to the mattress and his side again "Oh, thank _god_."

Quiet laughter shook her, and a hand rose to stroke reassuringly through her hair. Soft and comforting enough it would have lulled her to sleep any other time, hadn't it been for the way her heart was still pounding after that shock.

Cracking one eye open, she craned her neck to see the window and almost sighed again when she noted there was little to no light streaming in yet. Before sunrise, then. Well. There had been times when the twins hadn't slept through more than very few hours, so she supposed it was slowly getting better.

The caresses had stopped and she turned to look up and meet Sparda's gaze. There was a wry smile curling around his lips, and she could tell he was thinking something similar to her own train of thought.

Before she could comment on it, however, she heard it too, this time – a soft creak outside in the hallway, wood shifting under light steps, the hint of hushed voices.

The door opened with a squeak of its hinges, and a mop of white hair popped up in the gap. Followed by a second one, moving a bit too quickly, the motion knocking the two together. A pained hiss, some shushing, more whispering. A last, decisive hiss. Grumbling that sounded definitely a tad sulky.

Eva and Sparda exchanged a fond look, both barely keeping quiet instead of bursting into laughter.

"Father?"

The polite voice had both adults shush each other, laughter twinkling in their eyes, before Sparda spoke up, "Yes?"

"Is Mum awake?" This question was slightly louder than the first one, causing more hissing from the twin who had spoken first. "Ah. _Sorry_."

"Why don't you ask me that yourself, boys?" Eva asked, the laugh seeping into her voice. Propping herself up onto her elbow so she could peer over Sparda's shoulder, she waved at the children. "Good morning!"

"_Mum!" _

Both small faces fairly glowed with happiness as they spotted her – before dropping into matching frowns, much to Eva's surprise.

"We didn't _wake_ you…," Vergil asked, exchanging a quick, worried look with Dante, "Did we?"

"Can't be," Dante insisted, though he didn't look quite convinced, "We were quiet!"

"Perhaps…"

"Boys, boys," knowing this could degenerate into a full-blown discussion if she let it, Eva soothed them instantly, albeit confused. "You didn't wake me. Why would that be a bad thing, anyway?"

The boys sobered up immediately, looking extremely serious all of sudden – and Eva almost broke down laughing when she noted just how similar to their father they could look when they wrinkled their noses like…

_Yes. That_, she thought fondly as Dante sniffled, a picture of offense. "Dad said we're not allowed to wake you up when you're sleeping."

"It's _the_ _rule," _Vergil emphasized, nodding very seriously.

Hearing that had Eva raising her eyebrows in surprise, blinking. It wasn't often that Sparda set up rules for the children, something they had agreed upon after his own request. He was convinced, and she understood, that what little he remembered from his own upbringing would not be what they wanted for their children.

It seemed odd now, how _this_ trivial little thing was something he had insisted upon.

Unable to catch her husband's gaze since he had rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillows, Eva mentally shrugged it off and smiled at the boys instead. "Well, I was awake already. Was there something you two needed, boys?"

A quick glance was a shared between the boys, silently communicating. Dante was the one to turn and pipe up, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet. "Can we stay here?"

"We couldn't sleep anymore," Vergil chimed in. "And will be really quiet."

"Please?"

Eva had already started to smile fondly after the first question. Drawing a soft caress down Sparda's neck with one finger, she waited until he purred, tilting his head back to look at her. The curl of his knowing smirk was all she needed to decide. They were thinking along the same line, as they did so often.

Pushing herself up and a bit away from her husband, opening up a space between the two of them _just_ big enough for two little boys, she gestured to her sons. "Come here, you two."

Given the permission, there was no hesitation from Dante's side anymore. A brilliant smile stretched over the boy's face as he rushed across the room, bare feet going _taptaptap_, before scrambling up onto the mattress and crawling across it, all flailing limbs and pure enthusiasm. He even settled on the direct route to his mother, meaning that he climbed all over the prone form of his father without any consideration.

The distinct, muffled sound of tiny knees and elbows hitting the man was met with a half-hearted grumble from Sparda.

Even though she knew this was nowhere _near_ something that could actually hurt him, Eva winced sympathetically for her husband. "Sweetie, be a bit more careful with your father."

Pausing in his climbing, perched atop his father's broad back, Dante considered that, looking curiously from his mother to his father. As if to prove a point, he jumped one more time up and down – Eva winced again, even though she had to bite back a snort, this little _rascal_ – and wondered, "Why? I don't think he even noticed me!"

"I _did_," came the reply, muffled by the pillow Sparda didn't lift his face from, "And _you_ would do good to remember that I know quite well how ticklish you are, little one."

It was almost comical, how quickly Dante's grin fell off his face, replaced by a look of wide-eyed horror and sheer offense. With a squeaking yelp, the boy basically leapt from his father's back straight onto the mattress next to his mother, scrambling to curl into the safety of her arms. "Mum, don't let him tickle me!"

"Don't worry, you're safe," Eva promised, wrapping one arm around the dramatically whining boy while she faked a glower at her husband. "We ticklish people have to stick together."

There was laughter in those bright eyes when Sparda turned his had enough so he could blink at the two of them lazily, cocking an eyebrow. He seemed to consider pursuing the subject – with more joking threats most likely – but when he meet the two offended gazes directed his way, he snorted quietly, features softening.

Dante watched warily over his mother's arm as his father reached out, only to burst out giggling when his nose was tapped gently by one long finger. "Ey!"

"Keep your elbows to yourself, little one," Sparda's voice was nearly a purr, deep and lazy. "And I will desist from all tickling."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

A sudden weight dipping the mattress had all three of them looking down. Vergil, more considerate on some subjects than his brother, had crawled from the foot of the mattress up between the two adults. Kneeling between them, he pondered something, before grinning brightly. "_I'm_ not ticklish."

Instantly, Dante pouted again, drawing Eva's arm tighter around himself as if for comfort. "I don't want to be, either."

"You get that from your mother."

"Oh, it's Mother's fault?"

"… _Thanks_, Mum."

"Hey!" Eva protested while all her three boys started laughing at her offense, ranging from deep and quiet to high and loud. Rolling her eyes dramatically towards the ceiling, she grumbled, "Oh sure, now _I'm_ the one to blame."

"Well…"

"Oh, shush," she ordered the man, snorting loudly when she heard him scoot away from her in jest, as if fearing her wrath.

Tiny hands tugged at her sleeve and wrapped gently around strands of her hair, drawing her attention from the ceiling back to her sons.

"Don't worry, Mum," Vergil started, petting her hair gently.

"We still love you!" Dante declared, tugging insistently at the cloth in his grip.

"Lots and lots!" They both chorused, matching grins stretching from ear to ear.

Warmth and love spread through her, and there was no way Eva could have held onto her playful pouting while met with such earnest affection. She rolled around to have both arms to use and pulled the giggling and laughing boys into an embrace, dropping dozens of kisses all over their faces in rapid succession. "And I love _you_, lots and lots!"

"Muuuum!"

"I can't breathe!"

Despite their giggled complaints, both twins enthusiastically met her affections, grapping onto her as best as they could. Once she released them, they both pressed an exaggerated kiss to her cheeks with a loud "Mwah!".

All three collapsed onto the mattress in a heap, all sprawled limbs and breathless laughter. They glanced up when a quiet rustle sounded. Sparda drew the previously discarded blanket over them, then simply dropping his arm on top, effectively trapping the twins beneath it. There was more laughter, closer to breathless huffs by now, as Vergil latched onto his father's arm to keep it where it was, Dante chortling happily while he more _distracted_ his brother than really _helped_ by latching onto Vergil like a teddy bear.

"Enough, now" there was no real sternness in Sparda's voice, only a fond smiling tinging the words. He indulged the two once more by pulling back just so, nearly lifting both straight of the mattress and into the air, only to let the arm drop again and holding them still where they squirmed, snorting. "You were supposed to be quiet when staying here."

"Awwww. Okay."

"Sorry, father."

Eva watched the whole exchange with a heart ready to burst with affection, smiling widely. Once they had seemingly settled, she leaned over the two boys - Vergil with wide-eyes and a huge smile, Dante basically squirming in excitement - pressing a gentle kiss to each their foreheads.

Low words to _rest_ and _sleep well_ were whispered as they all lay back down and peace set in once again.

Eva waited, half-drifting off, half-pondering, lulled by the sound of the twins slowly dropping off again, quiet giggles and whispers quieting down to soft breaths.

Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore, whispering the question still on her mind in the space between them.

"Why that rule?"

It was difficult to whisper low enough to get past the sharp little ears between them, yet she was saved by the fact that the twins had apparently dozed off already, content and in deep slumber in the safe cradle their parents provided.

A low hum, sounding thoughtful. Then one bright blue eye cracked open, meeting her curious gaze. "We already confirmed that they require less sleep than you do."

Eva was already about to ask again for the deeper meaning of that ominous answer before it hit her – recalling how tired and dead on her feet when the twins had been little and astounding energy reservoirs, far beyond a human's already, had kept them going when their mother was already exhausted. Remembering Sparda's alarm when he had noticed, despite her tries to reassure him, just _how_ close to falling over she had really been.

He hadn't forgotten a single bit of that.

Her heart fairly melted and the smile spreading across her face very nearly hurt. Once again, she was utterly enamoured with how thoughtful and kind her partner could be, despite all his struggles to understand human wants and needs.

Reaching under the pillows, she searched for the hand he had slipped under there, interweaving their fingers and squeezing. Even in the dim light, she could see his eyes soften and his lips curl up, thumb rubbing slow circles over the back of her hand.

"I love you."

Often said words, yet she meant them every time anew. Perhaps even more so each time she said it.

"And I, you."

Answering with the same ease as breathing, a fact, cemented by the look of tenderness and wonder in his eyes.

The arm which had rested protectively over the sleeping twins rose, a gentle hand tucking the blanket further around her as well before Sparda murmured lowly, "Now, try to get some more sleep. These two will wake soon enough and demand attention again."

Eva laughed soundlessly, snuggling closer to her family and settling back in. "Yes, yes, try pretending you don't absolutely love it when they want _your_ attention."

"Why, Eva, I never said anything about _not_ liking it."

It was very hard to lie there and _not _kiss him then, with his grin wide and mischievous and making his face look so much softer and younger, but she managed, barely, aware that she would jostle the boys and wake them up if she tried. So she kept still, squeezing the fingers linked with hers, and returned each caress over the back of her hand with one of her own in an attempt to communicate what she felt.

If the look she received for it was anything to go by, she was understood perfectly well.

Eva fell asleep again soon after, cradling and being cradled by the ones she loved most, a quiet purr and twin-sounds of easy breathing a lullaby only for her ears, a soft smile on her face.

Her dreams were full of warmth and light, just like her heart right then.


End file.
